With the raid on the Buddhist mountain, countless years of Buddhist glory finally came to an end with the crumbling of the Buddha statue. It was the darkest of days for the Buddhist Nation as thousands upon thousands of believers gazed upon the sacred mountain, fell to their knees, and wept.
Demons emerged in the world and yet buddhas could not walk those lands. Could it be that this Buddhist Paradise was really about to sink into a dark and terrible night?
Their buddha… why hadn’t he returned yet?
The faithful who worshipped the false buddha had long since lost their faith, having crumbled from the slightest of shocks. On the night of the Buddha’s destruction, they sank into terror and despair.
Up on the mountain, the remaining Forbidden Guards meditated by the collapsed stone statue, their bloodstained faces just as resolute as always even though they knew that the road ahead would only get harder. The soldiers trusted in their Maquis, as they always had, and trusted in their faraway Empress.
In Revelation Hall, Zhang Sun was seated by the side of the dragon throne. She had not slept nor rested for days, and the beautiful eyes beneath that phoenix crown were red with exhaustion, yet still steadfast in their determination.
Her desk was stacked high with booklets, particularly with battlefield reports from southwestern Grand Xia, as a new one arrived every half-day.
She had been resolute when she sent him to that battlefield, but how could she be without guilt or worry? Her heart was not made of stone. But personal feelings were so insignificant when compared with the thousands upon thousands of ordinary people who lived in the southwest, thus she could only sacrifice him, the person she most trusted.
Over half a month had passed, and he performed splendidly. Those bald monks of the Buddhist Nation had not advanced even half a step further, and thanks to that, Grand Xia was able to have a temporary respite.
In the meantime, the Mongolian Army in front of the Beichui City had stopped their tracks. Ever since the faithful of Buddhist Nation had met with that devastating loss, Fan Lingyue had stowed her claws. Negotiations were still ongoing between the two dynasties, and even a detente seemed like a possibility now.
From the looks of it, everything was headed in a direction beneficial for Grand Xia.
The most important thing right now was the selection of a new emperor, such that the state of affairs in Grand Xia could stabilize as soon as possible.
An hour later, a letter was sent from Revelation Hall, and delivered at full speed to the Buddhist Nation.
The Western Doya Temple on Mijie Mountain was the Buddhist Nation’s most mysterious and most sacred place. On that day, the blasphemer entered with every intention of destroying the foundations of the faith.
Ning Chen entered the hall holding little Ming Yue by the hand, and was greeted by the majestic golden form of the Buddha statue.
The Buddhist hall was so huge that it defied imagination. It was difficult to believe that such a massive temple could have been built on Mt. Mijie, and it seemed nearly impossible to achieve even in some distant future.
Inside the hall, offerings were made to the relics of the previous generations of accomplished Buddhist experts. It was no ordinary sight, for the place was bathed in golden light.
Ning Chen stepped forward and reached out his hand as he inspected the thirteen relics, but even after a long time he still could not discover anything extraordinary about them. With a slight frown, he waved his hand and took all the relics.
“What’s the use of these stones?” Ming Yue asked, puzzled.
“No idea, but that doesn’t matter – I’ll just take them first.” Ning Chen shook his head and answered.
It was said that the cultivation techniques of Buddhism were different from that of ordinary martial practitioners. After attaining perfection, one could attain an indestructible body, such that even after death it was possible to infuse one’s powers into a relic.
However, that was only a legend, and he did not know if it bore any truth.
These monks, were already so tough in life that they couldn’t be hurt no matter how much their enemies hacked away at them. Yet even in death, they wished to preserve this hardness by transforming into rocks just as impervious. Was there even a point to that?
The pair rummaged for ages in the great hall, but could not find anything else that could be taken away. Mingyue looted a little wooden mallet from the front of a Buddha statue. Well, since she already took the wooden mallet, there was no point leaving the wooden fish behind, was there? Ning Chen mused to himself before grabbing the meditation tool as well.
(TL: Wooden Fish: Not an actual wooden fish. They are rounded percussion instruments used for meditation and rituals by Buddhists. Rounded wooden mallets are used to strike them and produce a hollow sound at set intervals. Used to be an actual wooden fish in the past, hence the name.)
Having finished with the front hall, they then moved to the back hall where the disciples would rest. After a brief search, they found some pills which they also took.
The last place they went to was the living quarters of the head abbot. However, before they could even take a step in, they found themselves rebuffed by a great and powerful force, unable to take another step further.
“The way’s blocked, what now?” Mingyue said unhappily, reaching out with her little hand to touch the intangible barrier in front of them.
Ning Chen did the same, and immediately had sour look on his face. A barrier of such strength would take at least a Xiantian to break through.
He may already be a Mid Ninth-grade, but that was still some distance away from being a Xiantian. By his estimations, the barrier would be very difficult to dispel, even with some time put into it.
“Mingyue, stand back a little, let me give it a shot.”
Ning Chen gestured for Mingyue to step back, then drew his Ink Sword and prepared to smash his way through with brute force.
Mingyue obediently stepped back about ten metres, then called out, “Okay, you can start!”
Ning Chen braced himself, then swung his blade down.
The next moment, there was a huge boom followed by a burst of golden light and the quaking of the earth. Outside, the soldiers turned towards the temple with eyes wide open in shock. What was their marquis doing in there?
The barrier shimmered a little, then swiftly became still again without a single scratch on it.
Ning Chen shook out his arm that had gone a little numb with the impact. This thing could really withstand a smashing… that was tricky.
He was not entirely without a way to break through that barrier; he still had that Desert Sword left to him by the senior. With that, he could definitely shatter this tortoise shell of a barrier. However, that was a ‘present’ he was saving for that old bald donkey – he could hardly waste it here.
“Can you open it?” Mingyue called out.
“No problem at all, just a little longer.”
Ning Chen steeled himself. Little Ming Yue was watching from the side, so he mustn’t embarrass himself.
After all, wasn’t it just some dumb barrier? He might not be able to beat a Xiantian, but surely he could crack open a barrier set by one.
A moment later, boom after boom could be heard on the peak of Mijie Mountain. The Forbidden Guardsmen who were not seriously wounded became curious, glancing at their commander who was nursing his injuries.
“If you wish to go, then go,” the commander spoke calmly, without even opening his eyes.
With that approval, they instantly sprang to their feet and ran towards the source of the noise.
Before long, a large group of soldiers stood outside the back hall and the old monk’s residence, watching as their Marquis hacked wildly, recklessly at some vaguely-visible golden light in front of him.
Ming Yue pinched a piece of beef jerky from one of the soldiers started chewing it out of boredom, wondering how long this was going to take.
The surrounding soldiers, their curiosity piqued, gathered around her to wait. They weren’t unfamiliar with the little Great Khan, and bore him little resentment. After all, the war between two countries could hardly be blamed on a child, and if the matters of Mongolian dynasty could really be decided by a child, then Grand Xia wouldn’t be in such dire straits in the first place.
The booming noises continued in front the old monk’s living place. The crowd, growing bored, sat by with Mingyue and snacked on their dried rations as they waited.
“How much longer?” Mingyue had grown sleepy after loafing about for so long. However, she couldn’t sleep while those banging noises continued, and thus called out in impatience.
“Soon!”
Ning Chen turned to reply and, upon seeing the crowd seated behind him, got a bit of a shock. What were all these guys doing here?
“Sir Marquis, do you need some help?” One of the soldiers mustered his courage to ask, but his body language showed no sign that he intended to move.
“Yeah, if you need help don’t be shy to ask!” With that lead, other soldiers began to join in the ruckus.
Ning Chen cast them a scornful glance. All they knew were to brag and talk big, if they had the actual ability they would be helping for real.
“Just sit and wait, this marquis will definitely break it apart.” Ning Chen’s dignity felt rather bruised. Even those bunch of guys had the guts to make fun of him. No matter what, that tortoise shell was going down today, for the sake of his face!
The booming noises began again as Ning Chen made up his mind. Each blow of his sword became increasingly forceful as he was determined not to lose face in front of his subordinates no matter what.
Four hours later, when dawn was about to break, one of the soldiers ran over, calling out, “Sir, there’s a letter from the palace!”
Ning Chen eyed the now dim barrier, then took the letter. He turned, walking over to where Ming Yue was seated before sitting down and reading it.
The gathered soldiers also quietened down, wondering what news their Empress had sent from the palace.
“Reinforcements will take another ten days or so to arrive, Her Majesty tells us to hang in there,” Ning Chen skimmed the first part of the letter, then looked up and informed the others.
The letter had been written two days ago, and had taken over a day to reach their location. Counting the days, they did indeed have to wait for about ten days.
The soldiers showed neither joy nor sadness at that. Ten days were a little long for them, but it was still a manageable duration for them to hold on.
In the second half of the letter, Zhang Sun summarized the situation in the Imperial City and Mongolia.
There was not much change in the Imperial City, as the struggle between the two princes reached its peak, and the Three Dukes, despite debating over this matter for days, had yet to arrive at a consensus.
The thing that he was most concerned about was the overly calm state of the Mongolian army. Negotiations between the two dynasties were still ongoing, but he did not believe in any of nonsense. Nobody in the world knew Fan Lingyue better than he did, and he was completely certain that she wouldn’t retreat.
The current easing of tensions was, without doubt, merely an illusion. Fan Lingyue seemed to be implanting a false stance to everyone in Grand Xia.
A stance where negotiation was possible between the two dynasties!
He was still far away in the Buddhist Nation, and couldn’t discern her aims but this illusion was definitely a hidden danger for Grand Xia.
“Fetch me a brush and ink,” Ning Chen ordered.
“Yes, marquis,” the soldier who had waited by his side bowed respectfully, then turned and left for the great hall.
There was no shortage of writing implements in the hall, thus the brush and ink were obtained in no time.
Ning Chen took the items and instantly penned down his suggestions, emphasizing over and over in his letter for Zhang Sun to be careful in handling the matters of the Imperial City. Moreover, she had to be particularly wary of Fan Lingyue, and not trust in any illusion of peace.
At the end of his letter, he gave a brief account of what had happened, and told Zhang Sun not to worry as he could still handle things on his side.
“Send this reply to the palace immediately,” Ning Chen instructed in all seriousness as he folded up his letter and handed it to the Forbidden Guardsmen at his side.
“Yes, sir,” the soldier received his orders, then swiftly turned and left.
After all that, the gathered crowd had lost their mood. Ning Chen was similarly unwilling to delay further, and walked up to the barrier. He raised his power to its highest point, and a flurry of snowflakes surged into the air. The Ink Sword made a ringing sound as it instantly frosted over.
The was a great roar as the light of the sword crashed onto the barrier. The golden light, which had long since dimmed, was finally unable to withstand such a powerful blow and broke apart with a bang.
